Have you ever been grateful to disappear into an emotional roller coaster of a movie? One that doesn't manipulate you, but genuinely makes you feel compassion and heartache? This is how I can sum up Mother and Child, a drama about the complexities of maternity from writer/director Rodrigo Garcia. Annette Bening is at the helm of the ensemble cast as Karen, a middle-aged woman who grieves daily for the baby she gave up at 14. Naomi Watts plays Elizabeth, the grownup child Karen has never met, and Kerry Washington is a conflicted wife who is pretty sure she wants to be a mother.
These aren't just sad, woeful women; they're strong, but also majorly flawed. Elizabeth's cavalier treatment of the lives around her is hard to swallow, but her destructive personality is a direct result of her loveless upbringing. Bening is also quite unlikeable as Karen (the nature of their shared biology isn't lost on anyone). Throughout the film, you wonder how both of their lives would have been different had they known each other all along. Would they be softer, more loving?
The pace of the movie is somewhat slow, but it's well-suited to the subject matter; it makes you think, feel, and grieve along with its characters. To find out why, just read more
Motherhood is the central theme of the movie — Kerry Washington also stars as a woman who is trying to adopt, while Elizabeth finds herself pregnant. Intriguingly, Samuel L. Jackson plays against type here as Elizabeth's love interest in what seems like a sweet and subdued role. The trailer is moving and slightly somber, but it looks to be full of great performances. It's a pretty large ensemble — Jimmy Smits, David Morse, and Carla Gallo also appear, and speaking of, keep an eye out for 
